Office of the Assemblies

Dear Patrick,

 

My thanks to Valeria and the SA for conveying to me Student Assembly Resolution #38: Supporting LGBTQ+ Students Through Promoting Identity-Based Resources on Campus. I appreciate the Assembly’s interest in ensuring student knowledge of and access to identity-based resources on campus, in particular here for our LGBTQ+ community. I’ve asked Marla Love, Dean of Students, to respond more fully regarding our efforts in that area.

 

Sincerely,

 

Martha E. Pollack

President

 

 

Dear Patrick,

As the resolution notes, the LGBT Resource Center is an important organization offering programming for our community. The LGBTRC works strategically with campus partners to make their resources visible to students, in queer spaces and non-queer spaces across the university and uses many different marketing and communication streams to inform the community about the center’s resources, programming, and advocacy. These methods include providing information through an opt-in bi-weekly newsletter; promotion via CUVIEW-Discuss, which posts events on digital screens across campus; updates to CampusGroups; posts on Instagram; and through the SCL campus events and the Loving House newsletters.

 

Over the last three years, there have been increased partnerships to provide programs and resources. The LGBTRC staff work closely with the CAPS LGBTQ+ liaison and Cornell Health Gender-Affirming Care Providers. Cornell is committed, as is Cornell Health, to hiring individuals who bring a diversity of experiences and identities to our campus.

 

In addition to working toward greater visibility, the LGBTRC continues to advocate and partner with campus offices to address the campus climate for all LGBTQ+ students. In partnership with the Office of the University Registrar, a streamlined process was developed for name changes on Cornell documents and student information systems.

 

This summer, the Office of the Dean of Students will host lunch-and-learns for SCL staff to share information about our units, including the LGBTRC, and discuss how staff can be ambassadors for the units. This past academic year, the LGBTRC provided 24 trainings and workshops focused on LGBTQ+ competencies and shared the multitude of resources provided on campus and by the center with student organizations, student staff groups, and staff and faculty departments. These trainings were offered to, among others, Housing and Residence Life Residence Hall Directors and Career Services advisors, and presentations were made at the Inclusive Excellence summit for staff and faculty and New Student Orientation Information Sessions for incoming students.

 

The LGTBRC and SCL will continue to connect our student community with programming and resources and to ensure campus partners – student staff, student leaders, staff, and faculty – are aware of and can engage with the center’s valuable resources. I appreciate hearing suggestions from the student community as we explore ways we can continue to build communities of belonging at Cornell.

 

Sincerely,

 

Marla Love

Dean of Students